Buddy bench helps all kids feel included at Begbie View Elementary

Contributed by Lexi Ast.

A ‘buddy bench’ is helping to bring students at Begbie View closer together.

The start of a new school year means old friends are able to reconnect on the playground and pick up where they left off.  It also brings in the new kids: kindergartners, kids new to town, kids transferring old schools who are leaving good friends behind. This can be a scary and stressful experience for school aged kids.

“We are blessed to live in a small town with a rather tight knit community, however this does not mean that some children won’t find themselves isolated and sad on the playground,” Begbie View parent Lexie Ast said in a statement. “The buddy bench is a tool that if used properly can alleviate these issues and bring kids together.”

Buddy benches have become a sensation across North America. Ast saw the benefits of the buddy bench and began an initiative to bring a buddy bench to Begbie View Elementary.  She began a fundraising campaign through a GoFundMe Account in the summer of 2016. The community was quick to throw its support behind the project and help raise the funds needed to have the buddy bench ordered and brought to Revelstoke.

The buddy bench arrived in Revelstoke in May 2017 and was introduced to Begbie View students and installed on the playground.

“It is pretty simple to get the Buddy Bench idea going on a school playground because kids intuitively understand the rules. All of them have felt left out of play at some point in their lives,” said Ast.

The rules of the buddy bench are:

– If you can’t find anyone to play with and you decide to sit on the bench, you must say “yes” to the first person that invites you to come play, walk or talk with them.

– If you see a school friend sitting on the bench, walk up to them, introduce yourself if you don’t know them yet and invite them to come play, walk or talk with you.

– If you are sitting on the bench and you spot a friend or a group of friends you would like to join, get off the bench and give it a try! You can always return to the bench if it doesn’t work out.

– The bench is not a hang out place to socialize. Only sit on the bench if you can’t find a friend or a group of friends to play with.

Ast said the buddy bench project would not have been possible without the support that came from the community of Revelstoke. There are plans to install a plaque at Begbie View Elementary in the near future acknowledging and honouring all of the donors.